Former Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo has detailed to pressures of playing in Catalonia, taking aim at former boss Ronald Koeman.
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An Argentina supporter was arrested on suspicion of racism during the World Cup qualifying match against Brazil at the Maracana on Tuesday.
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Nottingham Forest are interested in making a move for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat this summer, according to reports in Italy.
Nottingham transfer news – could they sign Sofyan Amrabat?
As we saw last summer, the Tricky Trees have surprising spending power, with almost an entirely new starting line-up welcomed through the door.
With that said, Amrabat remains a realistic target this summer, with there being a suggestion that both Forest and West Ham United will battle for the midfielder's signature.
TuttoMercato's Giacomo Lacobellis also reported that the only two clubs willing to match the current asking price of £30m are Newcastle United and Liverpool, however.
The Premier League interest comes as no shock after Amrabat impressed many at the World Cup with Morocco, where, at one stage, he had won possession more than any other player at the tournament.
It remains to be seen where the Viola “monster” – as once lauded by journalist Carlo Garganese – ends up this summer, with a number of clubs interested.
Would Sofyan Amrabat suit Nottingham Forest?
If you look at Gibbs-White, he is a player with flair; a player with the ability to create. And he needs the freedom to express his best traits.
That's where Amrabat could be the perfect player to form an exciting partnership, should Forest win the race to sign the Fiorentina star.
Where Gibbs-White is an attack-minded player, as proven by his impressive 16 goal involvements in the Premier League last season, the 26-year-old machine has the ability to play the role out of the spotlight, providing the stage for players of Gibbs-White's ilk to perform.
The World Cup showcased that very ability for all to see, so much so that a role often played out of the spotlight was highlighted several times.
Against Spain, in particular, Forest fans got a preview of the player they have been linked with, as Amrabat made the most tackles in the game, as well as making nine ball recoveries, winning seven ground duels, and completing 25 passes.
It was an all-round display of dominance against the likes of Gavi and Sergio Busquets. Speaking about Amrabat's World Cup performance, Alan Shearer praised Amrabat, saying (via Liverpool Echo):
"He really enjoys that and he’s really good at that – ‘get off the ball, I’m having it’ – and he’s setting his team forward. He’s been key.
"He does that, he protects, he can get out there and help his full-backs, and that’s what he’s in that role to do – to stop, and be a spoiler – he’s excellent at it. Then he drives forward and they’re on their way. He’s been magnificent, he really has.
"I think he ran the game at times tonight, it was incredible, just how deep the French were in the second half.
"And he was driving at them, and the main reason they were so deep was because of his energy and the way he just cajoled his entire team and cajoled the entire nation."
Compared to Forest's current options in similar roles, too, the Morocco international stands out once more. According to FBref, Amrabat has better a pass completion and makes more tackles and interceptions per 90 when compared with Steve Cooper's current options in Danilo and Remo Freuler.
His key tackling and interception attributes are particularly important, as this is the work that will win the ball back and distribute the ball quicker to the attack-minded Gibbs-White – something current options have done worse than transfer target Amrabat.
If Forest can secure the services of the midfielder, then Cooper will have a significantly improved option in the middle of the park and one that will only help the England U21 thrive even more at the City Ground.
Chelsea are on course to reshuffle and reshape their dysfunctional attack.
It has already been confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t wish to make Joao Felix’s stay in the English capital permanent, Romelu Lukaku prefers to spend another season in Italy instead of returning to Stamford Bridge, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to depart after a disastrous stint in West London.
However, the possible transfer of Kai Havertz to Arsenal is the most surprising storyline thus far, to leave the Blues extremely light up top.
Nevertheless, Nicolas Jackson has been linked to sparking the Chelsea rebuild and replacing the aforementioned quartet as the focal point next season.
What’s the latest on Nicolas Jackson to Chelsea?
According to Fabrizio Romano, the 2021 Champions League winners have decided to activate the release clause for the Villarreal striker and are set to pay €35m (£30m) in instalments for the 21-year-old.
Three unnamed clubs are also reportedly tracking the player, but Jackson wants to play in the Premier League and the Blues are planning to offer a long-term contract.
The Guardian has stated that the Senegalese has already agreed personal terms with the West London outfit.
Can Nicolas Jackson replace Kai Havertz?
The attacker made 26 La Liga appearances this year and registered 16 goal involvements (12 goals and four assists) which has attracted Chelsea to his glistening talent. He was the top scorer for a Villarreal team that secured a fifth-place finish in Spain.
Considering that this is the 6 foot 1 ace’s first full season at the first-team level in senior football in Europe, this return makes for impressive reading.
Across the continent, the £9k-per-week man ranks magnificently, as he sits within the top 11% for non-penalty goals, assists and progressive carries per 90, and his quality and effervescence could be of insurmountable importance to Pochettino.
The one-cap international has been described as “extraordinary” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig and his profile as a traditional number nine could be far more useful than the more fluid and unpredictable Havertz who scored just nine goals across 47 outings last term.
The German has been at Chelsea since 2020 and his career has involved flashes of mercurial brilliance with the highlighting being his winning goal in the Champions League final two years ago.
However, the rest of his exploits in England have been largely unforgettable and despite making 139 appearances for the West London outfit, his best and most effective position is still a subject that is hotly debated.
Last season, under Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, he was often tasked with acting as the focal point, but his distinct lack of physicality and dynamism, as well as a damaging inability to hold up play, meant he often cut an isolated figure.
The addition of Jackson, therefore, is an intelligent move, and he could the key source of firepower for Pochettino.
MSK Prasad, India’s chairman of selectors, said that MS Dhoni’s decision to step down as India’s limited-overs captain came at the right time and showed Dhoni had the best interests of the team in his mind.”Had Mahi [Dhoni] taken the decision one year or even six months earlier, I would have been a bit worried,” Prasad told . “But I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat [Kohli] is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Tests.”So it is a correct decision by Dhoni. It showed that he had the best interest of Indian cricket in his mind.”Prasad, a former India wicketkeeper-turned-selector, said that Dhoni still had more international matches under his belt. “I still feel he has a couple of years of cricket left in him and as a wicketkeeper-batsman, he can still make an invaluable contribution to the team’s cause,” he said. “Dhoni’s presence will help Kohli as he now captains across three formats. Had he quit, Virat would have missed out on his immense experience.”Prasad said Dhoni, India’s most successful captain, had nothing left to prove as a leader, and praised his foresight in the role. “What else was left for him to achieve as a captain? He has achieved everything under the sun in his tenure as India captain. He has won World T20, 50-over World Cup, Champions Trophy, all three global trophies,” Prasad said. “Apart from that he has won IPL, Champions League T20. He has nothing to prove to anybody. He has been a great leader.”I believe his match reading was brilliant. That’s why he was quick on his feet and could assess any situation with a lot of clarity. For a captain, foresight is an important aspect and he had that in abundance.”Although he found a clear distinction in the personalities of Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who appears set to take over as captain in ODIs and T20Is, Prasad said the urge to win for India was the same for both cricketers. “Dhoni never gave away anything in terms of body language while Kohli has always been aggressive,” Prasad said. “What I have loved about Dhoni is that he will never give away anything as to what is going on in his mind. That’s his personality. He can keep things submerged in him.”But deep down, both Dhoni and Kohli’s urge to win matches for India is equal. There is no letdown in intensity.”
Arsenal's pursuit of a new defender has just taken a fresh turn, with a new update outlined by a true transfer specialist.
What's the latest on Sacha Boey on Arsenal?
As per Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are still in the race to sign Galatasaray's Sacha Boey despite reports coming earlier in the week suggesting they had seen a bid rejected.
He wrote on Twitter: "Arsenal are one of the two English clubs informed on Sacha Boey deal conditions — but told NO meeting took place with #AFC at this stage. Galatasaray board asked for at least €25m (£22m) fee during meetings in London."
With Cedric Soares' £75k-per-week deal set to expire next year too, such persistence to acquire the Frenchman could spell bad news for the Portuguese defender, who reportedly plans to stay and fight for his place in Mikel Arteta's side, but might not get such an option.
Is Sacha Boey better than Arsenal's Cedric?
To compare their respective campaigns to decide who might back up Ben White for the coming season would surely mark a no-brainer, given how Boey has shone in his debut year in Turkish football.
Featuring 29 times in the Super Lig, the 22-year-old has maintained a 7.11 average match rating throughout a title-winning year, upheld through one key pass, 1.7 interceptions, 2.7 tackles and two clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Such form has almost confirmed the suspicions journalist Zach Lowy noted even before his move, outlining him as an "intriguing prospect" back in 2021.
Then, when looking at Cedric, he instead has only managed a total of 12 games across all competitions which has included a loan spell at Fulham. Even when looking back to last campaign, when the 31-year-old at least managed 16 league starts, his average match rating of 6.86 was still nowhere near that of Boey's.
Ironically enough, when trawling back through the Portuguese defender's average Sofascore ratings for each Premier League campaign, the apex came all the way back in 2016, and even that 7.07 rating is below that of his potential successor.
What Arteta has laid out in front of him is a choice between acquiring another talent to align with his youth-first transfer policy, or an ageing stalwart who has contributed plenty during his three years in north London but is clearly declining.
However, his experience is hardly a necessity now, especially in full-back positions when White and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been the first-choice options this term.
Cedric has fulfilled his purpose in north London and can now leave on a high with a fine reputation and an even finer replacement seemingly lined up.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmar Akmal hit seven sixes and three fours during his unbeaten 73 off 35 balls•CPL/Sportsfile
With Trinbago Knight Riders staring at the prospect of heading to the final leg of the CPL season in Florida with their playoff hopes in jeopardy, Umar Akmal’s brilliant fightback secured a crucial three-wicket win over St Lucia Zouks to draw Knight Riders level with the Zouks on eight points in a tie for third. This meant that Barbados Tridents were pushed back to fifth place with two games to play. Akmal struck an unbeaten 73 off 35 balls in Knight Riders’ chase of 168 having dug his side out of a deep hole at 63 for 5 in the 10th over.Zouks were well placed to defend their total after the fall of Anton Devcich for 25 in the 15th to end a 51-run stand, leaving Knight Riders needing 50 off the last five overs with four wickets in hand. Only four runs were scored in the 16th to further tilt the scales in favour of Zouks but Akmal swung things back Trinbago’s way in the 17th when he targetted Jerome Taylor for three straight sixes and a four, bringing up his fifty off 27 balls. Akmal’s fireworks reduced the equation to 23 off 18 balls.Shane Watson then pinned Sunil Narine down for three dots, but could not sustain the pressure and Narine ended the over by bashing two sixes to make it 9 off 12 balls. Narine fell in the 19th over but Kevon Cooper hit the winning runs two balls later to clinch victory with six balls to spare.Having been inserted, Zouks had powered to a strong start with Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher notching 58 in the first seven overs. Charles was fortunate after having been dropped in the first over on 1 off Ronsford Beaton and was reprieved again on 11 in the fourth over when replays showed Devcich had overstepped after having Charles caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-off.Fletcher was run-out in the eighth over for 25 and Charles’ luck ran out 10 balls later when Bravo claimed him for 27. From there, Zouks struggled to regain the flow to their innings until Darren Sammy’s arrival in the 16th after Grant Elliott was removed for 12. Sammy clubbed Cooper for four and six in the 18th to spur a late surge, and then bashed two more fours and a six off the final seven balls of Zouks’ innings to finish 37 not out off 18 balls. However, his spectacular form the stadium renamed in his honour could not extend the hosts’ winning run, with Akmal halting it at three games.
South African David Wiese hit boundaries of successive deliveries in the final over to ease Sussex to a four-wicket win over Kent in a low-scoring thriller in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove
ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2016
ScorecardTymal Mills took three wickets and bowled a maiden in his four overs•Getty ImagesSouth African David Wiese hit boundaries of successive deliveries in the final over to ease Sussex to a four-wicket win over Kent in a low-scoring thriller in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove.Chasing 141, after Tymal Mills had again impressed with 3 for 15, Sussex needed eight off the final over but after David Griffiths conceded a single and then bowled a wide, Wiese – who has extended his stay as second overseas player at Hove for another two weeks – drove to the extra cover boundary before guiding the next delivery to the third man rope to seal victory with three balls to spare.It was Sussex’s other overseas player, Ross Taylor, who set up the win with a measured 62 off 50 balls. Sussex were struggling on 68 for 4 after 12 overs in their response when Taylor was joined by Chris Jordan in a match-winning stand of 61 from 39 balls.Taylor struck offspinner James Tredwell for 16 off three balls in the 16th over to tilt the contest Sussex’s way and although both he and Jordan fell to catches in the deep off Mitch Claydon in the penultimate over, Wiese held his nerve to secure a third win out of four in the South Group for his side.Claydon took 3 for 25, having earlier bowled Ben Brown while Matt Coles also impressed, finishing with 1 for 17 and claiming the key early scalp of Sussex skipper Luke Wright, who was caught at deep square leg for 3.Kent had been bowled out for 140 off the final ball of their innings, having been put in, after some impressive work from Sussex’s seamers on a slow pitch.England international Jordan led the way with 3 for 18. In his first spell he removed Daniel Bell-Drummond with a slower ball and returned to the attack to have Alex Blake caught at cover and Darren Stevens at midwicket.Jordan was well backed up by left-armer Mills, whose searing pace made it tough for the Kent batsmen. Mills yorked Coles and then removed Tredwell and Griffiths in his final over to finish with 3 for 15 while Wiese took 2 for 33 including Kent captain Sam Northeast, who returned to form with 53 off 33 balls which included two fours and four sixes, all struck in the area between long on and mid-wicket before he mis-timed a leg-side pull allowing Wiese to take a simple return catch.Sussex’s seamers were well supported by leg-spinner Will Beer, who had the dangerous Sam Billings lbw sweeping as Kent’s innings tailed off alarmingly, with the last five wickets falling for nine runs.
Manchester United aren’t thought to be scared of the €120m release clause in Goncalo Ramos’ Benfica contract.
What’s the latest on Man United and Ramos?
The Red Devils appear to be on the hunt for a marquee attacking addition ahead of Erik ten Hag’s second season in charge. Ten Hag has had limited centre-forward options to choose from during his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Anthony Martial sidelined with a number of injury issues and Wout Weghorst only arriving on loan in January. Left-winger Marcus Rashford has stepped up to the plate in front of goal, though, netting 27 times in 44 appearances in all competitions.
In terms of targets, there has been plenty of speculation over moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. CEO Richard Arnold has reportedly sanctioned a deal for Kane, whereas the club are also thought to be readying a move for Osimhen. However, Ramos appears to be another possible attacking target at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils considering a move, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Sports Witness relayed an update from Record regarding United and Ramos, claiming that the club, and by extension current owners the Glazers, are not scared of his €120m (£105m) release clause. The report adds that Ten Hag’s side could be rivalled by Chelsea and Real Madrid in the race for Ramos, with the two sides watching the forward in ‘many games’.
Should United sign Ramos?
Ramos is the youngest of United’s three attacking targets, three years younger than Osimhen and eight years younger than Kane. However, the Portugal international has also enjoyed a free-scoring campaign this season, netting 24 times in all competitions. He also caught the eye at the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in a knockout game against Switzerland after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo, with Gary Lineker hailing him as "remarkable" for being able to handle the pressure.
The Benfica man's release fee would be a club record deal at Old Trafford, so may well be viewed as a risk compared to Kane and Osimhen, with the pair having more experience than Ramos.
Whoever the Red Devils bring in up front looks likely to involve a huge fee, so it is crucial they get this spot on over the coming months. It looks as if Ten Hag’s top target is Kane, however, it is good to see that the club have a number of possible candidates, including Ramos.
Insider Dean Jones has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are set to "sound out" a move to appoint Julian Nagelsmann as manager which could help keep Harry Kane at the club.
What's the latest on Julian Nagelsmann and Spurs?
This week, the 35-year-old was sacked from his position at Bayern Munich and is replaced by Thomas Tuchel. At the same time, it looks as though Spurs boss Antonio Conte will be leaving north London in the near future.
With that in mind, Tottenham will soon be looking to hire a new man to take charge of the club. All the while, uncertainty remains over the future of Kane who is linked with a summer exit.
However, while talking on the Chasing Green Arrows podcast, Jones claimed it could be a great week for the striker – who also scored a record-breaking winner against Italy for England on Thursday night – as Nagelsmann's possible arrival could convince him to stay put.
Indeed, the journalist explained: "What a week this has been for Harry Kane. So he scores the winner against Italy, it's a record-breaking goal for England.
"And at the same time, Julian Nagelsmann's leaving Bayern Munich and has got a chance of becoming his manager. I mean, what a night for Harry Kane, like that is a great treble to have. Some hope for him that he doesn't have to leave Tottenham. If Nagelsmann actually lands, that'd be a big one.
"They’re due to speak to him… well, not speak to him, but sound out people over the weekend to see whether he would be interested."
Would Nagelsmann be a good fit for Kane and Spurs?
Still only 35 years of age, Nagelsmann is one of the youngest top coaches in world football and despite his young age, has already coached the likes of Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before Munich.
What's more, he'd actually done pretty well with the German giants this season and leaves with the club just one point off the top of the Bundesliga table and unbeaten in the Champions League – beating the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Barcelona on the way to a sealing a quarter-final tie against Manchester City.
However, if Nagelsmann does arrive at Spurs, what may make him most appealing to Kane is the way he managed to get the best out of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Indeed, this season the striker has 17 goals and four assists in total when he'd only ever hit double figures for league goals in two seasons before across the span of his career.
With that in mind, just imagine what Nagelsmann could do with Kane up top.